Folding car-steps.



G. A. CULVER.

FOLDING CAR STEPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-5, 191s.

Patented Mar. 21,1916.

JIVVEJVI'OB 6501? GE'A, 02m VER GEORGE A. CIILVER, OF BEATRICE, NEBRAHEVELONE AND ONE-THIRD TO JOHN R. QUEIN, BOTH SKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRDTO ELMER L.

015 BEATRICE, NEBRASKA.

romaine CAR-STEPS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon A. CULVER, citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Beatrice, Gage county, Nebraska, have inventednew and useful Folding Gar- Steps, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction forfolding steps adapted especially for use on vestibuled railway coaches.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved folding stepsfor cars adapted to be lowered and raised automatically by raising andlowering the trap door.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improvedconstruction for car steps adapted to be lowered to within a shortdistance of the rail level when the car door is opened, and to be foldedor oscillated upwardly out of the way when the door is closed.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, andillustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation illustrating my improved steps in position for use on arailway car, dotted lines indicating the steps in folded or raisedposition. Fig. 2 is a front View of the steps in open or loweredposition. Fig. 3 is a front view of the steps in folded or raisedposition.

In the construction and mounting of the steps as shown the numeral 10designates generally the floor of a railway coach of any construction,supported by spaced transverse sills 11, 12, between the outer ends ofwhich the floor is cut away in a common manner to provide space for thesteps, said space being covered by a hinged trap door 13. In theembodiment illustrated I have employed a single stationary step 14 fixedto and be tween the sills 11, 12 at the rear of the space covered by thetrap door 13, and leading down a short distance from the level of thefloor 10. Bracket plates 15, 16 are fixed to the bottoms of the sills11, 12 and extend downwardly therefrom immediately in front of the fixedstep 14, and a shaft 17 is journaled for rotary oscillation in the lowerextremities thereof. A flight of steps, in this instance composed ofthree treads and risers carried by side plates 18, 19, is mount-Specificatiou of Letters Patent.

closed position the steps are raised out of Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed August 5, 1915. Serial No. 43,870.

ed between the brackets 15, 16, and are fixed to and for oscillationwith the shaft 17.

The steps are so constructed and arranged as to lead, when in openposition, from the stationary step 14 to within about seven inches ofthe rail, indicated by the line 20, on which the car is standing; andwhen in raised or folded position to occupy more nearly a horizontalposition, with the lower ends of the steps in juxtaposition to the lowermargin of the vestibule door 21, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1; inwhich position the lowermost portion of the steps is about seventeeninches from the level of the rail 20. r

The shaft 17 projects at one end beyond the bracket 16 and a crank arm22 is fixed thereto. A lug 23 is fixed to the lower side of the trapdoor 13 adjacent the hinged margin thereof. A lug 24 is fixed to thelower side of the sill 12, and a lever 25 is fulcrumed intermediate ofits ends to said lug. A link 26 pivotally connects one end of the lever25 to the crank arm 22, and a link 27 pivotally connects the oppositeend of said lever to the lug 23. Thus the folding or pivoted steps areconnected to the trap door 13 in such a manner that when thedoor israised to open position the steps are lowered to operative position asshown in Fig. 2; and when the door is lowered to the way as shown inFig. 3. Y

The sill 12 and other frame members may be slotted or cut away toprovide for the free play of the lever 25 and link 27, so that they mayoccupy substantially the positions shown in Fig. 2.

An apron or guard 28 preferably is fixed to and projects downwardly fromthe frame at the rear of the pivoted steps to form a closure for thesteps when in raised position, to prevent the entrance of snow and otherundesirable substances to the steps.

In use this construction provides a step that reaches to a position muchnearer the ground or platform than do or can the ordinary permanentsteps, and in this way prevents many accidents to passengers whilealighting from the car. It also obviates the use of a portable step orbox such as is sometimes used, and eliminates the consequent trouble andinconvenience to the trainmen. that folds out of the way when not in Itprovides an adequate step use, and is operated to and from position foruse without any additional move or thought on the part ofthe attendant,in the act of operating the trap door 13. It may be added to any coachwithout any structflral changes, simply by removing the per manent stepsand adding the "brackets and connections.

'I claim as my invention v 1.- A device of the class described,comprising, in combination with a car frame, a trap door hinged thereto,a crank shaft journaled insaid frame, a flight of steps fixed to saidshaft, and pivotal connections between said door and crank shaft,whereby when said dCor is opened said steps are lowered to position foruse.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a frame, a trap doorpivoted thereto,

a crank shaft journaled for rotary oscillation beneath said door, stepsfixed to said crank shaft, a lever fulcrumed on said frame, pivotalconnections between said lever and the floor, and pivotal connectionsbetween said lever and the crank shaft.

3. A'device of the class described, com-' prising a frame, a trap doorhinged thereto, a flight of steps pivoted intermediate of its endsbeneath said door, and pivotal connections between said door and stepswhereby said steps are'in vertical position when the door is open and insubstantially horizontal position when said door is closed.

' 4. A device of the class described; com prising a car frame, a trapdoor hinged thereto, a flight of steps pivoted interme diate of its endsbeneath said door, a lever fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on saidframe, pivotal connections between said lever and the door, pivotalconnections between said lever and the steps, and an apron or guardfixed at the rear of said steps to said frame.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a car frame, a trap doorhinged thereto, a crank shaft journaled for rotary oscillation in saidframe, a flight of steps nections between the lever and said crankshaft, a d pivotal connections between the lever and said operatinmember.

7. A device of the c ass described, comprising a support, an operatingmember hinged thereto, brackets on and extendigfi downwardly from saidsupport, a era shaft journaled for rotary oscillation in said Ibrackets, a flight of steps fixed intermediate of its ends to saidshaft, a lever fulcrumed on the support, a link pivotally connecting oneend of said lever to saidcrank shaft, and a link pivotally connectingthe oppo- IsJite end of said lever to said operating mem- 8. A device ofthe class described, comprising a car floor, a trap door hinged thereto,a stationary step fixed at one margin of said floor beneath said door, apair of brackets fixed toand extending downwardly from said floor, aflight of ste s pivoted intermediate of its ends to said ets and adaptedto cooperate with said fixedstep, an arm fixed to said pivoted steps, a

lever fulcrumed on the car frame, a link pivotally connecting one endof'said lever to the trap door, and a link plvotally connecting theotherend of said lever to sald arm.

Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this thirty-first day of May, 1915.

GEORGE A. CULVER. Witnesses:

EARL M. SINCLAIR,

R. B, DENNIS'.

rack

